TEDxToledo conference to spread concepts of ‘human experience’

A group of speakers is preparing to give the “talk of their lives” in 18 minutes or less.

This is Will Lucas’ Third year organizing TedxToledo. toledo free press file photo by Joseph Herr

What they will talk about at the third annual TEDxToledo is being closely guarded for the first time in the event’s history, however, and will not be revealed until they appear on stage.

TEDxToledo organizer Will Lucas is keeping this year’s specific topics under wraps and will not disclose what audience members can expect at the daylong conference Sept. 18.

“We don’t reveal the subject matter of the talk until they’re on stage,” Lucas said. “Our goal, in an effort to continue to keep getting better, is to give people a chance to come and witness the event without any preconceived ideals. Come open and ready to learn and share.”

Lucas organized the first TEDxToledo in 2012 with the theme “You Will Do Better.” In 2013, the idea of improving the city continued with the theme “reIMAGINE.”

This year, the roster of 17 speakers will give talks on the theme “Human: Exploring the many dynamics of the human experience.” To view a listing of the speakers, go to www.tedxtoledo.com.

TEDxToledo is the local version of the international TED talks. The acronym stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED is a nonprofit dedicated to spreading ideas in the form of short talks (18 minutes or less). Beginning in 1984 as a conference, today it covers a wide range of topics from science to business to global issues, according to its website.

“TED is … committed to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading,’” said Susan Zimmerman, executive assistant to TED’s curator in New York and a former Toledoan. “Those ideas vary in just about every way imaginable and can be seen in the most far-reaching corners of the globe, from the high-tech Vancouver stage of TED2014 to a chalkboard in a one-room hut in Malawi. … Our goal: to spark conversation, action and learning.”

The conference is a chance to bring people together and form connections, Lucas said.

“TED and TEDx events are the only places I know in the world where you can go to a conference and see a CEO sitting next to a farmer, and they are talking about the same thing,” he said. “For a moment in time, they are pushed in the same direction.”

Lucas and his organizing partners, Sam Melden and Molly Luetke, who started planning the event in December, decided to do something different this year based on advice from the international TED organization on ways to enhance their TEDx.

In the past, they normally would find speakers and then decide the topics of the talks. For this year’s event, they narrowed down the topics and then went in search of speakers.

“It kind of changed the way we thought. That has really enhanced it this year, “ Luetke said. “Our biggest challenge was to come up with topics. We wanted new and interesting ideas. Part of the problem was coming up with a subject that hasn’t been done before.”

That’s why organizers brought in another group of about eight people who could help identify topics and find speakers. The group gave great input and fresh ideas, Luetke said, giving organizers a conference with speakers who don’t resemble what would be considered a usual TEDxToledo event.

The speakers — seven women and 10 men — come from a broad range of professions and backgrounds.

There are professors, doctors, artists, a CEO and a mom.

“I’m super excited about the line-up and I think that they are people who do wonderful things in the community, but who are not necessarily people who have a platform on a daily basis,” Luetke said.

“Not everyone will agree with the idea the person has, but that makes for interesting conversation. We’re just hoping it causes further conversation and that’s what TED is all about. I think our speakers this year will really challenge folks.”

TEDxToledo speakers Eugenio Mollo, Maara Fink and Dr. Matt Roth.

Toledo Free Press photo and cover photo by Michael Nemeth

TED talks have a reputation for being cutting edge and thought-provoking.

“I’m more excited about these speakers than in the first two years combined and that doesn’t take away from the first two years,” Lucas said.

Maara Fink, clinical professor of law at the University of Toledo, is one of the speakers at this year’s TEDxToledo. According to TEDxToledo guidelines, Fink could not divulge any information on the topic she plans to discuss, but said she was honored the organizers chose her.

“I hadn’t necessarily thought I would ever be able to be a part of [TEDxToledo] but was certainly honored to have been asked and it was through a wonderful group of folks who put this panel together that felt that I might have something to contribute,” she said.

She knows not everyone will agree with her ideas or see things from her perspective, but she hopes to nudge people’s minds in a way that will allow them to see things in a different light, she said.

“We all think our ideas are interesting and unique and, for me, [the goal is] to define them in a way that’s interesting for a diverse audience and you hope you touch each audience member in some way,” she said.

Organizers selected the theme “Human” was selected after picking out particular topics they wanted to hear.

“I realized that all our ideas for talks seemed to hover around the idea of the human experience, and the name ‘Human’ just came to me during our organizer meeting,” Lucas said.

Back in 2011, Lucas got the idea to organize a TEDx event in Toledo after watching a video of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement address, which was linked to the TED website.

At the time, Lucas, with his technology background, felt frustrated by the lack of a technology community in Toledo.

“I was tired of it,” he said. “[I thought] if I can bring that type of energy to Toledo it would raise the level of conversation. That’s why I got involved in it.”

This year’s budget from donations and sponsors is $10,000. That money will pay for the event facility, videographers and other expenses, Lucas said. The event is nonprofit, so all money from ticket sales will go toward the event or be donated.

Last year, money raised was donated to the Young Men and Women of Excellence program at Toledo Public Schools. Speakers are not paid.

Speaker Eugenio Mollo, a local attorney, called the process of developing a TEDxToledo talk “challenging.”

As speakers develop their talks, they meet with a TEDxToledo curation committee made up of a marketing representative and theater representative, among others, Mollo said. Each critiqued parts of his speech and give him pointers on how to speak more effectively.

“There’s a lot of support and practice and there’s a lot of effort that goes on behind the scenes of a TEDx,” he said.

As an attorney, most of Mollo’s public speaking experience has come in a courtroom.

“A lot of people think, ‘You’re a lawyer and this comes naturally for you,’ but this is a different environment,” Mollo said. “It’s a different audience and a different presentation style.”

Dr. Matt Roth, a primary care practitioner and physician for the Toledo Walleye hockey team, said he doesn’t necessarily consider himself an expert on any given topic, but was excited and honored to be selected as a TEDxToledo speaker. Although he couldn’t give away details of his topic, Roth said the TEDxToledo team coached him on his presentation and that the conference will be exceptional.

“We each had our individual sessions, but you arrive when the other one is finishing up so you have some overlap … so you get a little bit of a glimpse of what’s coming,” Roth said. “It definitely encourages me. All these other talks are great and they’re doing good things — a wide variety of different subjects that fall under the human emphasis.”

Tickets to the conference the first year sold out at $100 each. The second year, they were $75 with a buffet lunch included. This year, they’re $49. Organizers figured out if they don’t include lunch, they can reduce ticket prices, Lucas said. Lunch this year will be offered by local food trucks, which will offer reduced rates, he said.

If area residents find themselves hungering for TEDx talks throughout the year, they won’t have to wait until next year before Toledo hosts another one. New this year, Lucas said he has identified four “community stewards” who will oversee four “mini” TEDxToledo events to be held during the remainder of this year and into the next, Lucas said. Some of this year’s topics could become themes for the mini TEDxToledo talks.

TEDxToledo 2014 is set for 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the West Toledo YMCA/Start High School Theater at 2110 Tremainsville Road.

‘Star Power’ entertainment industry event set for May 1

On May 1, The Mad Ave. Collective will host Holy Toledo: You Got That Star Power, an event that offers anyone aspiring to work in the entertainment industry the opportunity to network with local professionals.

“Holy Toledo” film poster

Throughout the five-hour event, over 30 organizations will have information tables listing upcoming casting calls and production gigs. This event will launch the Greater Toledo Film Commission.

“We’re one of the largest metropolitan areas that doesn’t have a film commission,” said Vincent LaMarr Smith, creator of the event. “I’ve been advocating for three to four years to get some energy going toward putting people interested in the industry together.”

Smith said the biggest benefit of attending the event is the human element of meeting face-to-face with professionals who live in the immediate area.

“I’ve been producing films for the Syfy channel, Lifetime channel and for theatrical releases for about eight years,” said Rich Iott, co-creator of the event. “One major benefit is realizing there are a lot of people in Toledo involved in the film industry in a big way. They live in and work from Toledo, but may be involved in projects in LA or Vancouver or wherever. There’s a guy here in Toledo currently producing a film with Salma Hayek, and a lot of people who may bump into this guy daily may not know he’s traveling back and forth to LA on a regular basis.”

Smith and Iott successfully hosted a similar gathering 18 months ago. The upcoming event, however, has been expanded to welcome all areas of the industry.

“We think Toledo could be successful at attracting larger-scale projects. It’s inexpensive, easy to navigate and we have just about any scenery you could ask for short of mountains. And everything’s within 20 minutes traveling distance,” Iott said. “There are also tons of great screenwriters in the Toledo area. Some of their work, which gets stumbled upon, has been used as a basis for production on the Lifetime channel. There’s a lot of underexposed talent in the city.”

“There will likely be many people at the event who are looking to produce or invest in new projects,” Smith said. “For a little guy who may be an actor or actress or director, you’re going to be able to mingle with these people and possibly launch your career.”

Recent success stories of Toledoans in the film industry include Glass City Films, which just acquired international distribution for an upcoming film, and Charissa Gracyk and Gillian Perdeau, cousins living in the LA area who are currently shooting “Holy Toledo,” a film about Prohibition-era Toledo.

Casting for modeling and acting jobs will also take place at the event, so headshots and résumés are recommended.

The Mad Ave. Collective is located at 1600 Madison Ave. The event will take place on the second floor beginning at 9 a.m. For more information, visit www.madisonave collective.com or contact Smith at (567) 868-2994.

Culbreath: No secret: I love the Winter Olympics

I mean, I love the Olympics in general, but the Winter Olympics are my drug. Hockey, skiing, skating, bobsled, curling, even snowboarding? Love it. I’ll watch it all. I’ll watch it live. I’ll stream that stuff, I don’t care.

(You mean to tell me that some of this stuff will start at 5 in the morning? Maybe I won’t stream everything…)

And like literally everyone else, Sochi has me nervous.

I’m used to Summer Olympics being drenched in controversy over the host country: Beijing had “free speech zones” and disappearing stray animals, Athens still hasn’t recovered from the money they dumped into hosting in 2004, and all signs point to similar problems for Brazil in 2016.

But the Winter Olympics? Granted, I haven’t been around forever, but everything always goes so smoothly. Vancouver was a model city, Turin got through with only some delays with their metro, and Salt Lake City ran smoothly, even with September 11th fresh in their memory.

But the word started coming in early this week as media descended on Sochi: they are not ready. People pulled in to find sidewalks and streets still being paved. Others checked into their hotel rooms, only to find them still under construction. Watch your step, because some manholes were without covers.

The athletes aren’t faring much better. Pictures of team lodging includes 3 twin beds side-by-side in one room. How about 2 toilets in one bathroom, with no divider? Cozy.

Out on the courses, danger as well. American snowboarder Shaun White was supposed to compete in the slopestyle event, a new sport for 2014. But while practicing on the course, he jammed his wrist. Not the first injury before the games even began: two other athletes also suffered injury during practice: one medal contender broke his collarbone, another suffered a concussion. White pulled out of the event, saying that the course was too dangerous, and that he’ll instead just focus on the halfpipe event instead.

That’s not to mention the political strife surrounding these games. Much has already been said about the plight of the LGBT athlete in a country that has laws designed to persecute them. Hacker activists are looking to take advantage of the weakened infrastructure to promote their causes. Specific security threats from terrorist groups will have people on edge up until the closing ceremonies.

Do I think everything will go off okay? I hope so. That’s about the best I can offer. But at the start, it’ll be a lot like Beijing: watching through my fingers as they cover my eyes. Hopefully, as the days go on, I’ll be able to relax and enjoy the action. For now, I can just wish good luck to all of the athletes, both on the ice and off.

I Scream Social: New courthouse stocks are now set up online

What’s your expectation for privacy online? Many people expect to be able to adjust settings and filters, while many ignore privacy settings. Most people younger than 30 are amused at the notion of online privacy. They completely understand that the expectation is ridiculous. But how many of us expect the cloak of online anonymity for our speech and actions?

Recent revolutionary movements have used anonymous online speech and social media to challenge Iran, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries with opinions unpopular to those governments. New technologies and especially cell phone texting and email technology, have fueled the successful Jasmine Revolution, though Internet service providers have been pressured by governments to unmask addresses and identities of some users. The free flow of information and opinion — warts and all — is a healthy thing.

But what about anonymous actions that include criminal activity when it is captured and shared online?

Shaming websites

Following the recent Vancouver riots, several websites including www.canucksriot2011.com sprung up to identify and punish people who sullied the image of the Canadian city after out-of-control Stanley Cup festivities.

These websites have supported identifying people involved in burning vehicles and breaking windows through a combination of crowd sourced identification and Facebook’s facial recognition software.

Facebook’s software memorizes the biometric data of all the faces in its database and tags the names of all the people in the photos downloaded to its database.

Woe to Nathan Kotylak, a 17-year-old water polo player, who clearly appeared in multiple Facebook photos to be lighting a Vancouver police car on fire.

There is even one YouTube video titled “Name That Moron — 2011 Stanley Cup Rioters Exposed” that asks viewers to identify rioters and share information with the police

Is public shaming — the new courthouse stocks — an efficient, honorable and legal way to expose criminal activity? Facebook states that its biometric data technology will “increase human bonds, networks and connections in a whole new way.” But there are chances to be tagged in inappropriate photos and labeled and associated with events out of context.

The Internet creates models that users adapt in unexpected ways. Social media is about shedding anonymity and creating transparency online. Good if you’re checking out a company and its employees, products and services; bad if you’re lighting a police car on fire.

Kevin Cesarz is director of social media and Web project manager at Thread Marketing Group in Maumee. He also helps create storytelling content for MrElshMedia (mrelshmedia.com). Find more ideas about social media at klcesarz.wordpress.com.